The italicized words in the sentences below were once common.
They can still be found in at least one of our largest dictionaries (The Oxford
English Dictionary; Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary;
or Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged), but otherwise they
have dropped out of the language. Your assignment for tonight is to figure out
what one of them meant, and to identify what we now use in its place. Check off
your assigned sentence, then do the following with it:

Write out the italicized word, and a definition for it based on
its usage in the sentence.

Clearly and concisely explain how you determined the word’s
meaning.

Rewrite the sentence substituting the word or phrase we
would use today.

Proofread your work for spelling, punctuation, clarity,
completeness, and capitalization; then prepare a final draft on a separate
sheet.